


Stealing your Heart (and nothing else, I swear)

by ViWillRockYou



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:06:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27434017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViWillRockYou/pseuds/ViWillRockYou
Summary: Eda Clawthorne has taken an interest in one Camila Noceda. The problem is, the single mother doesn’t seem to be interested in her at all. How does the greatest witch in the boiling isles overcome this? Aggressive flirting and over-the-top pick-up lines of course.
Relationships: Eda Clawthorne/Camila Noceda
Comments: 22
Kudos: 140





	1. Hoo's Line Is It Anyway

Edalyn Clawthorne was a woman who takes what she likes. And yes, that does include petty theft. But at the moment, what she likes is a pretty, single, hispanic woman who happened to be the mother of her ~~adopted human daughter~~ witch apprentice.

Eda hadn’t known the woman very long, as a matter of fact they had just met earlier that day. Actually, they hadn’t really met yet. The woman was too busy having a heartfelt reunion with Luz for introductions. After five minutes of ugly crying, compassionate hugs, and fair scolding, the human girl remembered that her mentor was there.

“Oh, Mom,” Luz said, wiping some moisture from her eyes, “this is Eda. I’ve been staying with her while I was in the Boiling Isles.” She gestured to the lady in the red dress with big hair. “Eda, this is my mom.” 

Luz’s mother approached the witch, “I’m Camila Noceda,”she said, extending her hand out after wiping a tear from under her glasses, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Trust me, the pleasure’s _all mine_ ,” Eda replied boisterously. “They call me Eda the Owl Lady, but you can call me anytime you’d like.” An eyebrow wiggle accompanied that statement.

Camila’s own eyebrow raised at that in response, but quickly dismissed the action. “Thank you for taking care of my daughter,” she told the witch warmly. “I hope she wasn’t too much trouble,” which received a complaintantive ‘Mom’ from her daughter.

“Not at all. Actually, she was the perfect amount of trouble! We only got arrested eleven times the whole time we were together,” Eda announced proudly, much to the chagrin of her apprentice. Camilia looked to her daughter who currently had her face in her hands.

“ _Mija?_ ” Camila asked expectantly.

A muffled voice came from behind her palms. “Yeah- it’s a long story.”

* * *

Sure, Eda didn’t fancy herself the type that could get with anybody she wanted, but she did definitely consider herself a catch. I mean, the stinkin’ warden fell in love with her for Titan’s sake! So when a week had passed and Camila Noceda hadn’t so much as given her couple words in acknowledgement of her advances, the witch had started to get fed up. So it was at this point that Eda said screw it with any amount of subtlety that she may have barely had, it was time for an even more direct approach. So when she had to visit the human world to drop off Luz’s paraphernalia, Eda wasted no time.

Of course, Camila had a few misgivings about which items were appropriate for a teenager to keep in their room. While Eda was adamant that swords and daggers were very important in a young witch’s upbringing, Camila had to disagree. Eventually, they came to some sort of compromise and they began bringing items from the Owl House to the Noceda residence. And by they, I mean they made Luz do it.

“The kid wouldn’t want me touching her stuff anyway,” Eda said sitting at the dining room table of Luz’s house.

“Are you sure?” Camila asked as she approached the table with two mugs. “Some of her things look… dangerous.” At that moment, Luz came through the portal currently situated in the living room. She was holding a box with air holes that appeared to be vibrating slightly. Camila could swear she heard a few snarls and growls come from inside of it.

“It’s fine!” Eda rebutted, taking one of the mugs from Camila as she sat down. “She hasn’t died yet. Trust me, compared to some of the things back home, she might as well be in a petting zoo.” She finished with a nice sip of the tea she was given.

“Yeah, the way she described her time there made the Isles seem very _inhospitable._ ” Camila paused before that last word. “But she seemed so happy recounting her adventures and all the friends she made.” The woman gave a small smile and then directed that smile at Eda. “I want to thank you again for taking care of my Luz. I know she can be quite a bit to handle, so it means a lot to me that you took her in.”

“Don’t even mention it. Luz was the best thing to come into that house since yours truly,” Eda boasted as she leaned back into her chair. 

“Really? She wasn't any trouble?” The mother asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t all sunshine, lollipops, and painbows. She got into plenty of mishaps,” Eda corrected before she started counting off on her fingers. “There was the puppet demon, getting banned from the school, the witch’s duel, bringing my house to life, sneaking back into the school, the snow monster, getting captured by an evil ringmaster, Grometheus, getting captured by my sister, and taking on the emperor himself. And that’s only some of the things that I know about.”

If Camila’s shocked expression was anything to go by, she was undergoing a flurry of emotions at Eda’s words. However, she remained calm and settled on having a frank discussion with her daughter about her time away.

“But seriously, that girl- well, changed my life for the better. Before she came along, I was just sort of going through the motions, y’know. Then she showed up, got us into a bunch of wacky antics, and then without realizing it,” Eda paused to recount the various misadventures she and the human girl had together, unconsciously brushing the gray streak in her hair, “I was the better person I didn’t know I wanted to be.”

“Wow,” Camila was rather surprised by the fond tone the witch had suddenly taken. “That’s quite the praise you’re giving.” She looked back to her little girl who was currently trying to angle an oversized cauldron so that it could roll through her bedroom door.

“I’m serious, that girl is the best.” It was at this point that a sly grin formed on Eda’s face. “Although, if you really want to thank me, you can give me something in return,” the witch stated while putting down her mug.

“Oh really? Like what?”

Tapping her chin, Eda began, “Let’s see, how about… **your number!** ” She finished by giving Camila a pair of finger guns and a wink in her direction.

“Oh, you’re right,” replied Camila. Eda smirked confidently at that.

“It probably would be a good idea for us to have a way to contact each other, wouldn’t it. For whenever Luz goes back to your world.” Camila finished with a sip of her tea.

And with that, Eda’s smirk fell from her lips as Camila got up to retrieve her phone. That was unexpected for the witch to say the least. Of course, being as stubborn as she is, Eda wouldn’t let one flirtatious crash and burn deter her.

After giving the mother the number for her house–and warning her just to hang up if someone named Hooty answered the phone–Eda began her second attempt to charm the woman. “So Camila, I was wondering something about your job?” Eda asked, putting her arms on the table to lean closer. Her gaze was affixed on the woman before her.

“Yes?” Camila responded as she retook her seat.

“Yeah, do you work in a museum? ‘Cause you’re a piece of art-”

“Actually I work as a nurse.” Camila interrupted before Eda had finished her line.

“I-I’m sorry. What?” Eda, freshly thrown off her groove, mumbled out.

“I’m a resident nurse working at Terrace General Hospital. Right now, I’m looking to get my Advanced Practitioner License.”

“Oh- that’s good.” At a loss, Eda just took a sip from her mug of tea just to realise that it was already finished.

“Let me take that for you,” chirped Camila who had also finished her drink. Grabbing both mugs, she made her way to the sink where she immediately began to rinse them out.

Now alone at the table, Eda started second guessing her current plan of action. So far, two of her most obvious (and cheesy) pick-up lines had utterly failed. But of course, her mind just went ‘ _third time’s the hex_ ’ and jaunted over to her target.

Leaning on the counter, Eda delivered her next line. “Camila, I was wondering if you had an extra heart. Because mine was just stolen.” The Owl Lady’s face was brimming with smugness.

In response, Camila practically slammed the faucet shut and glared daggers at Eda. The witch was basically stunned by the sudden show of animosity, only being able to take a clumsy step back.

With a deathly serious tone, the nurse spoke, “Are you asking me to steal organs?”

“Huh, W-what!? No-”

“Because that is a very serious offense, Ms. Eda.” Camilla punctuated with an accusatory finger pointed straight at the Owl Lady. “Not only could I lose my job, but the consequences of committing a felony are-”

Before the beginnings of a rant could manifest, a loud shattering noise was heard from the living room. Moving from the kitchen to investigate, Camila and Eda saw Luz kneeling over several pieces of broken glass.

“ _Mija! ¿Estás herido?_ _¿Que pasó?_ ” Camila asked, rushing to her daughter's side.

" _Estoy bien mamá._ I just fell and dropped some bottles," Luz managed to blurt out as her mother checked her for harm.

“Kid, I told you not to bring all the brewing supplies at once,” Eda said, stepping into the conversation.

“I didn’t,” Luz retorted. Counting off on her fingers, she began, “I put the finished potions, the ingredients, and the brewing supplies into separate boxes.” Eda took note that the last thing the girl listed was what was currently lying broken on the floor.

Camila turned to the witch with tired eyes. “Is this safe?”

“As long as she’s careful. I mean the potions I taught her can’t really do much more harm than stain carpet or cause minor burns and irritation. And I made sure that she didn’t take any ingredients that can brew something dangerous.” Just as Camila was about to take a sigh of relief, Eda added, “Well, except for the death bell peppers that is.”

“The _what_ now?”

Before Eda could answer, Luz made a couple of excited noises before telling her mother to wait here. She then dashed into her room leaving Eda and Camila to enjoy ambient rummaging noises.

Looking at the woman slowly getting up from the floor, Eda smirked before commenting, “Y’know, I’d ask if you were tired of running through my mind all night, but it seems like you have other reasons to be wiped.”

With a sigh Camila responded, “I’ll admit, It’s not easy raising a daughter by yourself. It can wear you down at times.”

“I bet,” Eda cut in. “I had Luz for less than a year. Can’t imagine what fourteen must’ve been like.” They both gave a light chuckle at that.

“There were some trying times to be sure,” the mother commented. However, looking at the door to Luz’s room which now literally held other-worldly items, Camila adopted tired eyes and a fond smile. “But she makes it all worth it.”

Eda couldn’t help but agree.

“I am actually very tired though,” Camila stated. And with the loud popping noise similar to a firecracker that was heard from Luz’s bedroom, she added, _“_ _Y parece que voy a estar aún más cansado."_

Luz came back out of her room with her cheeks flushed and eyes slightly watered. Her skin was also a little shiny due to a thin layer of perspiration that had developed. While Camila raised her brows, Eda responded by pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Mami, you have got to try these.” Luz held out a couple of small peppers in her palm. The skin of the spicy fruit was a hauntingly bluish-purple hue while the stem was as black as asphalt.

“Luz, are you sure this is safe?” The mother asked dubiously. To which her daughter responded, “Yeah. I’ve been eating them all summer!”

Against her better judgement, and to Eda’s surprise, Camila popped the exotic Demon Realm pepper into her mouth and bit off the stem. She chewed for a few seconds finding that there wasn't really any flavor to the food. Suddenly, the chewed up pieces on her tongue seemed to have spontaneously combusted, making the firecracker-like sound she had heard earlier. The pressure made her cheeks bloat up momentarily as new heat engulfed every crevice of her mouth.

 _“Es como un fuego en mi boca. Delicioso!”_ Camila exclaimed as the spicy flavor assaulted her taste buds. The woman addressed her daughter, excitement evident in her voice. “ _Mija_ , this is so good.”

“See, I told you,” Luz shot back as she handed her mother another pepper.

Eda was gobsmacked at the sight before her. Luz had been surprised to learn that spicy food wasn’t really a thing on the Boiling Isles. And Eda was even more so when Luz explained to her the concept of spicy as a flavor rather than a plant’s natural deterrent to being eaten.

“I didn’t really believe her when she said that humans actually like food that burns your mouth,” Eda spoke aloud, mostly to herself.

“It’s not for everyone,” Camila casually commented as a few beads of sweat started forming on her brow. Luz added to her statement. “Just those of us who aren’t wimps!”

While Camila gave Luz a half-hearted scolding on why she shouldn’t say that out loud, Eda thought of another pick-up line.

_'You really_ _are a lot like Luz, y’know. Because you drive me crazy!'_

Eda decided to keep that one to herself.

So with the business of Luz’s items being moved taken care of and with the remnants of the brewing stand magically repaired because that’s something witches can do, it was time for Eda to head back to the demon realm. Feeling deflated that her arsenal of pick-up lines had no effect on her target, the Owl Lady opted to plop onto her couch with all the grace of a flat tire rolling downhill.

Not long after Eda had crashed onto her furniture, a certain house demon hooted up, “Heya Eda, how was the trip to the human world?”

“Go away, Hooty,” Eda murmured into the cushion, not bothering to look up.

“Awe, c’mon. Tell me what happened. I wanna know how things went with Luz’s mom.”

Eda shot up at that. A light blush that had been absent from her face for years suddenly making a reappearance. “How do you know about that!?” The witch blurted out.

“You were practicing pick-up lines all week. Hoot hoot.” The demon hooted out matter-of-factly.

Feeling the need to rebut, Eda declared, “Firstly, I was not practicing. I was just brushing up on my skills.” Eda’s blush was coming in more fully. “Secondly, I don’t have to tell you squat.”

“You’re not gloating.” Hooty followed up in an almost mocking tone, “That means you _failed._ ” The door owl made sure to draw out the last word for a couple extra seconds.

Being either too tired or too flustered to retort, Eda simply got up from the couch and began walking away.

“Maybe you need to try being a little more _ROMANTIC_ ,” Hooty suggested as the witch rounded the corner of the doorway..

“Ugh, just hush up, Hooty. I’m tired,” Eda groaned as she ambled further into the house. However, when she was alone, she did mutter to herself a quick, “Romance, huh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've never uploaded a fic before but I just love this show too much not to. And I don't know why the first one is a Eda/Camila fic but whatever. This was actually supposed to be a one shot, but I found it better to break up all the parts. Hopefully, I actually finish this. Fingers-crossed.


	2. Dinner OR a Movie

Eda made sure Owlbert was all set with her preparations. The palisman currently had a tiny tophat with a matching bowtie as his apparel while the witch was currently taping the handwritten note to the front of the small owl; the simple message read, ' _Di_ _nner Tonight_?’ “And don’t forget this,” Eda said while placing a newly bloomed bloodrose in the palisman’s beak. It was like a normal rose except its thorns were serrated. “Now go get me a hot date!” Eda said as she ushered the little courier through the portal.

Although she would never admit it, Eda did think there was some merit in Hooty’s previous comment. Maybe the older Noceda was a bit of a romantic and all this mushy stuff would have a greater impact in gaining her affection. That was why she had spent the following week preparing materials for a romantic evening. Such materials included a new tablecloth, about a dozen rose-scented candles, a few prime cuts of culinary demon along with some high-end spices, and a set of dining ware that wasn’t broken. Not to mention her choice of apparel for the fated evening. Luckily, she had managed to get many of these items for free, as long as they didn’t catch her, that is.

With her palisman acting as her wingman (literally), Eda set to work preparing a lovely meal for two. That’s right, it was time to bust out Mama’s **_Premium_** Night Juice. As the witch brought out an array of spices, she even started humming a little tune.

While Eda was busy with her cooking prep, she barely noticed the other core resident of the home waltz into the kitchen.

“Hey, wait a second.” King started whiffing in the aroma of the kitchen. “It smells too high class for this house.” Looking at the counter, he noticed the various spices with fancy labels not befitting their social standing.

“Finally, a meal befitting a king!” The small demon jubilantly exclaimed. “It’s about time my exquisite palate was catered to,” he finished with hands on hips.

“First of all,” Eda began whilst still focused on chopping garnishes for the steak, “these are not for you. Second, I’ve seen you digging through trash for food more than a stray ratworm.”

“You just don’t understand my lifestyle.” King retorted while stamping his foot. Eda just rolled her eyes at his antics.

Seeing now that the food before him was not meant for his consumption, King figured he might as well ask, “Who is this all for anyway?”

“This, my dear King,” Eda started with a slight rise in her voice, “is for my lovely date tonight.”

“Date?” King asked, squinting his eyes. “You have a date tonight?”

“That’s right, yours truly is set to have a romantic evening tonight with a truly fetching specimen.” Eda said with a light lilt to her voice before turning to the little demon to emphasize the last part. “Meaning not you.”

Instead of responding, the King of Demons just stood silent in the kitchen with only the sounds of Eda’s knife on the cutting board present.

Slightly perturbed by her roommates lack of a response, Eda used this chance to toot her own horn a little. “What? Are you really surprised that a _vixen_ like me has plans tonight?”

Finally responding, King started, “It’s not that, it’s just– Wow.” The furry creature haphazardly climbed onto the center table before he continued. “I didn’t think you’d fall so hard. I didn’t think you could fall at all.”

“Fall?” Eda questioned with no idea what he meant. “What do you mean by fall?"

“You know,” a hint of cheekiness showed through his eyes and tone, “fall in love.”

“Wha– I am not in love.” Eda shot back, her blush returning yet again. “What on the Isles makes you think that?”

King pointed to his snout before rebutting. “I recognize the scent of upper class living when I smell it. That is some grade A flavor dust you got there.” The finger pointed to his nose was now pointed accusedly at Eda. “I don’t know who you’re trying to show off for, but I do know that you are trying **really** hard!”

Her cheeks still flushed, Eda defended, “So what? I just felt like being a little extra tonight. You gonna arrest me for wanting to show Camila a good time?” The witch finished by turning away from the demon, arms crossed.

King wasn’t done however, “You’re raising your standards! For another person!!” His small voice was incredulous. “You have it bad, Eda! This is worse than the time you drank an actual love potion. And even then you-” King's train of thought was halted as a few key words from Eda hit him with realization. “Did you say Camila? As in, Luz’s mom?”

When King pointed that out was when Eda noticed her slip up, although she wasn’t sure why she would be trying to hide it in the first place. “Y-yeah, so what?” The demon only rubbed his front paws together in response while chuckling giddily.

“What’s got you so happy?” Eda questioned over her shoulder.

“This is perfect! If you and Luz’s mom start dating, then eventually she’ll move in with us! When that happens, Luz will have no reason to go back to the human realm because both of her moms will be here, and then the Luz and King Comedy Hour will reign eternal!!” King cheered boisterously much to the chagrin of the witch in question.

Eda felt scandalized. All she wanted was a nice date with a lovely woman. This endeavour didn’t need to turn into some convoluted matchmaking plot that Luz would think up. Although, she wasn’t opposed to the idea of one good date turning into several more, eventually leading into boundaries being expanded in their relationship, ultimately leading to— Eda put the brakes on her train of thought while she still could.

Her mind now significantly frazzled, Eda turned back to glare at the source of her mental anguish. “King, get out,” she demanded.

“Weh? But I could help you pick out flowers.” King obliviously replied.

“ **Now.** ” Eda said in a low voice with her jaw uncomfortably clenched.

“Jeez, alright.” The little demon said hopping off the table and walking out of the kitchen.

With the pint-sized demon now out of the dining area, the witch took a deep breath and returned to her cooking. The Owl Lady was most definitely **not** in love; she was just very, very, very interested in the older human. Now focused back on the task at hand, Eda poured some of her night juice onto a hot skillet while pushing all those mushy thoughts of love out of her mind. 

“This dinner is gonna be amazing-” is what Eda thought to herself five hours ago as she was cooking two prime cuts of demon steak. Now she was sitting alone in her house with her third glass of [undisclosed beverage] and half-melted mood candles. The witch had even donned some nicer clothing for the occasion; a khorne red halter top with zandri dust leggings, and a black templar jacket. She even traded her usual earrings for a pair of triangular hoop earrings in genestealer purple.

Even if Camila had decided to reject her offer, at least Owlbert should have returned with the woman’s answer by now. That’s why Eda, still in her casual evening wear, decided to venture through the portal herself. The Owl Lady finished the rest of the liquid in her glass before heading out, but she did take the bottle with her.

Face completely flushed, Eda walked through her portal into the human world. On the other side, she emerged from within a dilapidated shack in the middle of the woods. Apparently, according to Camila, conjuring a multi-dimensional doorway in the middle of one’s house was considered bad etiquette. That is why Eda had to walk through the odd green forest of the human world in less than ideal footwear.

By the time she saw the Noceda residence, the sun had nearly crested the horizon, leaving only the last vestiges of twilight to illuminate her path. When she got there, Eda knocked on the door of the humble abode with a subtle aggression underlying her mood, but not before tossing the bottle aside. The witch could hear some shuffling of feet from inside, and a moment later, the door was opened by the woman of the house. Camila had answered the door wearing a dark forest green t-shirt with what looked like a hand-painted question mark on the front. She also had gray sweatpants and had her hair up in a net. And for some reason, if her face wasn’t already tinted pink, then Eda’s cheeks would have rapidly changed hue.

“Oh, Ms. Eda!” Camila happily greeted the witch, seemingly oblivious to the redness on her face. “What are you doing here?”

Unsure on how to address the current situation, Eda got straight to the point. “D-did my owl… come through here.”

“Oh, Owlbert. Yeah he’s inside,” Camila said, inviting the witch inside.

The two stepped into the living room which had a sofa intersecting one end with a couch —Yes, there’s a difference. Inset between the two pieces of furniture was an old wooden coffee table with two large bowls of popcorn and one smaller bowl.

On the wall facing the couch, the large television was turned on, repeated playing a start screen for an old DVD.

“Owlbert, _ninito lindo_ , where are you?” Camila called out.

Suddenly, the smaller bowl started shaking and a feathery head poked out of the freshly popped snack. “Oh, there you are, _t_ _u pequeño bebé_.” Camila said holding out her hands so the little owl could hop into her outstretched palms. Seeing that her Palisman was safe and sound, Eda was left with being confused as her only option.

“I-I’m sorry. What’s going on here,” the witch asked in a demanding tone, directed mainly at her palisman.

“Oh, well, I had just gotten back from my shift when I found this little guy waiting for me at home.” Camila picked up the small owl in question. “And he had a note asking me to dinner, and, well, I couldn’t say no when he looks so dapper.” In return, Owlbert waved his wing at the flattery. Before Eda could get a word in, the younger resident of the house decided to show herself.

“Eda! You’re here!!” Luz said running into the living room to wrap her arms around the witch. The impact of the teenager winding her slightly and tilting her balance. Luz took notice of Eda’s apparel. “Ooh- what’s with the getup? Lemme guess, you had a hot date tonight.” The girl gave the pale witch a knowing look.

“I was supposed to,” Eda began, resigning herself to defeat, “but it seems like they had other plans.”

“Oh that’s too bad.” Luz commented before perking up again. “Hey, how about you stay here and watch a movie with us? Owlbert picked it out.”

“Oh, did he now?” Eda shot a slight glare towards her palisman.

“Yeah,” the young witch confirmed, “Let me get some more comfortable clothes for you. It’s a very important part of movie night.” She then went into the other room to procure some more appropriate attire, her mother following shortly after.

When Luz and Camila were out of sight, Eda turned to Owlbert with a twist that almost knocked her off balance. “What do you think you’re doing?” Eda asked haughtily but in a hushed tone. Her buzz started to mix with the headache she was forming.

“ **Coo** ,” the little owl replied.

“Yeah, well you should have just come back after she misunderstood.” Eda shot back.

“ **Hoot hoot** ,” Owlbert chirped his return.

“What do you mean ‘rude to turn down dinner?’ I was the one offering dinner!” The witch almost yelled. The red tint to her face deepened with her frustration.

“ **Hoo hoot hoo** ,” was his retort.

“Don’t give me that. Do you know how hard I worked preparing for tonight?” Eda gave in her loudest yell-whisper.

At that, Owlbert just turned his beak up at Eda and looked away.

Before the witch could do any buzzed reprimanding, Luz returned with an odd article of clothing. “Eda, here, try this on.” The girl said enthusiastically shoving a one piece set of animal pyjamas resembling a lemur into her arms. Now that Luz was back, some of Eda’s choice words were suddenly off-limits and Owlbert was spared a tongue-lashing.

So that’s how Eda, slightly tipsy, ended up spending her evening watching **_Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole_ **in the human realm. In the end, Camila gave Eda some of her clothes to wear rather than Luz’ option. Although a couple sizes larger than her, they were much more comfortable than her date clothes.

They were all sitting on a couch facing the tv. Eda on one end, Camila on the other, and Luz sat between them. The teenager, now wearing her otter onesie, had a cup of hot chocolate in her hands while Owlbert had settled into the girl’s crossed legs.

About halfway into the movie Luz had begun feeling drowsy. And three-fifths into it, she had fallen asleep and tipped over into her mother’s lap.

“Wow, I didn’t think the kid could fall asleep anywhere except her bed,” Eda commented on her apprentice’s gradual lull into dreamland.

“It was the hot chocolate,” Camila explained, “plus she’s seen this movie before.”

“Heh, same can't be said for our little friend here.” Eda said looking towards her palisman. Owlbert, now resting on Luz’s hip, seemed to be completely entranced by the film.

A few beats had passed before Camila spoke up again. “I used to get her to fall asleep all the time like this when she was little.” The single mother caressed Luz’s head lovingly. Being careful not to stir her, Camila gently brushed a few strands of stray hair from her daughter’s face.

“She would always ask to watch old Disney movies, and I would tell her that she couldn’t on a school night. Eventually, I learned that was the best way to get her to sleep.” Camila gave a small titter at the memory. “If I had just listened to her sooner, it could have saved us a few restless nights.”

Eda hummed in thought while looking at the mother and daughter. She knew the two had a bond, they were family. Luz made that much clear on nights where she missed her mother dearly but had no option to go home. It was restless nights like those that made Eda question if she really wanted thicker walls in her house.

Of course, with Eda, loving bonds between family were a bit hit-or-miss. But she knew what it meant to care for someone. She cared for her roommate King, she cared for her sister Lilith, and most of all, she cared for the quirky human girl that had stumbled through her portal one day. Suffice to say, a lot had happened between her and Luz since then. A lot of things that Camila had missed.

“Y’know at first the kid kept pestering me to teach her magic,” Eda began trying to keep the comfortable mood that had developed, “Of course, I wasn’t too keen on becoming a teacher. Honestly, I just kinda kept her around for the extra pair of hands.”

Camila gave Eda a look somewhere between quizzical and displeased.

Clearing her throat, Eda continued, “Ahem, anyway, one night I showed her how to do a light spell, and I was really wiped from earlier so I wasn’t really up for it. But she was persistent, and I gave in, but I was so tired I passed out mid lecture.

“When I came to, however, I saw her doing light spells all over my room.” The older witch hummed in amusement at the memory. “Hmm, the first human to ever do magic, in my own home. You should’ve seen it, Camila. It was breathtaking.”

“I’m sure it was,” Camila sighed contentedly before adding, “Wait, was this when you turned into an owl monster and tried to eat my baby girl?”

Eda turned to Camila with dread in her eyes. “You-You know about that?”

“After you made it clear there were some details she was holding from me, I made her tell everything,” the mother stated with an unreadable expression. “And she told me **everything.** ”

At that, Eda could only look nervous while Camila just gazed at her. A gentle awkwardness enveloped the room with only the sounds of gentle breathing and animated talking owls breaking the silence. A few agonizing seconds later, Camila smiled and spoke up again.

“It’s fine, Ms. Eda. I know you would never hurt my little Luz on purpose, she told me as much. But what are you getting at with your story?”

“Um, yes- the story,” Eda fumbled with her words a bit. “What I’m trying to say is that if Luz hadn’t made me show her the light spell, she probably wouldn’t have been able to stop me.

“And I know we’re supposed to be the adults and that we’re supposed to be, _ugh,_ responsible.” Eda did nothing to hide the disgust she felt at that last notion. Camila only gave a small smirk at the witch’s antics. “But sometimes, the kid really does know best.” Eda despondently finished, “Really shows how much of an adult I actually am, huh.”

Eda was so deep in her thoughts that she barely noticed the light touch on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw that Camila had reached over and placed a comforting hand on her.

“No one is ever really ready to be an adult,” the mother began. “And no one ever really knows when they become one. It’s just kinda like, one day, you realize some things are more important than yourself.” Camila finished her sage advice by gently fondling the hair of her sleeping daughter.

Eda looked to Luz and her fondness for the girl that seemed to grow everyday swelled in her chest. “Yeah, some things are.” And when she looked to Camila and saw the way she tenderly caressed Luz like nothing in the world held any value except for the sleeping figure in her lap, Eda felt a small warmth that was so foriegn to her it made her shiver. Everyone in the room was so transfixed on their respective objects of attention that nobody noticed that Eda’s blush had finally reached her ears.

The group sat there in comfortable silence as the movie was drawing close to its climax. However, Camila did decide to bring up one last topic.

“You know, from what Luz told me, you seemed like someone who would have wished that more adults listened when you were younger.” Camila stated, referencing the witch’s rowdy youth.

“Hah!” With a snort, Eda retorted, “Honey, that’s a can of grubs you don’t want to open tonight.” With that, the two gave a suppressed chuckle as to not disturb the young sleeping witch and the hyper-focused owl.

By the time the end credits began rolling, Eda came to three conclusions. Firstly, the movie wasn’t half-bad. Secondly, she really wanted to date Luz’s mother now. And thirdly, that was the last time she would ever even consider Hooty’s advice.

* * *

“And you're sure Edalyn won’t mind us eating her dinner?” Lilith asked tentatively prodding the tender meat with her knife.

“Nope, but she left her food unguarded,” the demon replied, attacking the other meal with absolutely no sense of decorum. “Plus, she got stood up fair and square.”

Hearing that her sister was stood up was news to Lilith. Granted, she always tried to give Eda her privacy while she was staying in her home. But not knowing her own sister was back in the dating game hurt a little.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Lilith put her attention back to the plate in front of her while doing her best to ignore her dining companion for the evening. Taking her knife, she began cutting off a portion of meat from the steak, finding that it cut very easily. Upon placing the morsel into her mouth, she was surprised by just how flavorful it was. Even though the steak had grown cold laying unattended at the table, Lilith had to admit that Eda’s cooking tonight would be able to hold a candle to some of the better chefs in the Isles.

In her previous position as head of the Emperor’s Coven, Lilith had been able to peruse the finest culinary selections of the Boiling Isles. It was simply one of the perks of the prestigious job. 

That being said, the simple homemade meals that her sister made were one of the many changes that came with her consequences for treason, albeit not an unwelcome one. The food Eda cooked had a familiarity that Lilith hadn’t realised that she missed. Lilith would even help her sister prepare those humble meals on occasion when they were both in a good enough mood to work together. Plus, it did help a little in terms of long overdue sisterly-bonding. And although she wouldn’t admit it, eating with the house’s other residents was much more enjoyable than dining with the stuck up nobles that she had to please, even if said residents knew nothing of table manners.

That’s why when Eda came to her asking for assistance to procure a selection of ingredients, Lilith was a little surprised. And when her sister also asked where to find the best materials to make a proper place setting for formal dining, Lilith was nearly convinced that this was for some sort of ruse that Bonesborough had known her sister for.

Deciding that she wanted to keep her involvement to a minimum, Lilith simply put together a list, gave it to Eda, and declared herself done with the matter. It seemed to be good enough for her sister though as Eda thanked her boisterously and performed the parallel arm wrapping of her body that Luz liked to do.

So learning that Eda had gone through all this effort just to set up a date made Lilith think that she would have to reevaluate her sister —again. She wouldn’t describe Eda as selfish, but the thought that she would put so much effort into pleasing a potential partner was still a little baffling to Lilith. Which made her beg the question, ‘ _Who was Edalyn trying so hard to impress?’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It appears I actually managed to write a second chapter. Anyways, thanks for the comments and feedback on the first chapter. Hopefully, I will see this project through to the end. while I'm writing this, I certainly feel like I have the motivation. Let's see if this holds out.
> 
> And shoutout to Doc for being an awesome beta


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